Tears of the Immortal
by SerenityCelest
Summary: They say immortality is a gift, but all those who have said so are dead.
1. One Last Tear

Disclaimer- I do not own Ronin Warriors (damn). The song is Gravedigger by Dave Matthews and it ain't mine either. All original characters are my and if you steal them I will hunt you down and force you to watch Barney and Teletubbies.  
  
Tears of the Immortal  
  
***************  
  
Sirus Jones 1810 to 1913  
  
Made his great-grandchildren believe  
You could live to 103  
103 is forever when you're just a little kid  
So Sirus Jones lived forever  
****************  
  
They stood silently under the trees, far away from the crowd, and watched as the long black box was lowered slowly into the ground. Ignoring the pouring rain they waited quietly for the grieving crowd to disperse. A couple of hours later the cemetery was empty and as one the group of nine walked noiselessly to the gravesite.  
  
Here lies Tenoh Yulie  
  
Husband, Father, Grandfather He will always be in our hearts  
  
****************  
Gravedigger when you dig my grave,  
Could you make it shallow.  
So that I can feel the rain...Gravedigger  
****************  
  
Their eyes remained dry as they stared down at the lonely site. All their tears had been shed years before, they had none left for this last grave. They had watched the young boy grow into a man, had been there for the birth of his first child, and his first grandchild. Now they stood around his grave, the nine bearers of the Mystic Armors. The boy who had borne the Jewel of Life, and had helped them destroy Talpa, the child that they had helped raise, was dead. Gone from old age, while they still looked as they did when they first fought Talpa.  
  
****************  
Muriel Stonewall 1903 to 1954  
She lost both of her babies in the second Great War  
Now you should never have to watch as  
Your only children are lowered in the ground  
  
I mean never have to bury your own babies  
  
****************  
  
Mia had left them years ago, their pillar of strength and knowledge. She had fallen in love, married and had children. She had lived her life and left this world surrounded by loved ones. They had not been able to go see her in her final hours, not as they were.  
  
****************  
  
Gravedigger when you dig my grave  
  
Could you make it shallow  
  
So that I can feel the rain...Gravedigger  
  
****************  
  
They recalled when they first realized their curse. It was Cye's 30th birthday and they had all gathered together to celebrate. Mia with her husband and young children, Yulie off from school, Ryo and Whiteblaze, Kento and his family, Sage with his grandfather. Rowen had even put down the papers he had to grade and joined in. Even the warlords had come; Cale, Dais, Sektmet, and Kayura. Everyone was there to celebrate.  
  
****************  
  
Ring around the Rosie  
  
Pocket full of Posie  
Ashes to Ashes  
We all fall down  
****************  
  
The party had seriously gotten underway when all of the sudden Cye's sister had spoken up. "You know for someone who's 30 you look pretty good. I mean you all do." She pointed out all the armor bearers, "You guys don't look a day past 20 or so." "You're right," Kento's mother had replied, "It's as if you haven't aged at all the past 15 years. You have to tell me your secret ."  
  
****************  
  
Gravedigger when you dig my grave  
  
Could you make it shallow  
So that I can feel the rain...Gravedigger  
****************  
  
Ryo had gotten wide-eyed at the announcement, while Rowen had really looked at his friends for the first time in years. It was Sage who reacted first. "It's probably because of all the Martial Arts we do. You know athletes always age well." After the party Mia and Yulie had stayed behind, ostensibly to help clean up, but really to talk. "I thought your immortality came from Talpa?" Mia had asked Kayura. "I too thought this." Dais had replied, "But if this is true, why have we not aged at all? Shouldn't we have aged immediately upon his destruction?" As one everyone turned towards Kayura, who frowned. "I will have to meditate on this," She had murmured "I will let you know as soon as I find out what's going on."  
  
****************  
  
Little Mikey Carson '67 to '75  
  
Rode his bike like the devil  
'till the day he died  
When he grows up he wants to be  
Mr. Vertigo on the flying trapeze  
Oh, 1940 to 1990  
****************  
  
She had contacted them all a few days later and delivered her findings. They were the true bearers of the Mystic Armors, destined to wear them from birth. The armors had made them immortal, immune from time and illness. They were protectors of the mortal realm against all evil, and would be until the end of time.  
  
****************  
  
To Gravedigger when you dig my grave  
  
Could you make it shallow  
So that I can feel the rain  
****************  
  
The years had passed and they had buried their family members, one by one. Until now, they were alone. The last of the people who had known them in their youth was gone, and now they were truly alone. Staring at the headstone of their friend, they still could not cry. Their tears had dried up long ago. Now they fully understood the curse of immortality, and that knowledge cut into them like a knife. Slowly one by one they left the grave until only one of them was left, a young man with long dark hair and tiger blue eyes that held a wisdom which belied his apparent youth  
  
****************  
Gravedigger when you dig my grave,  
Could you make it shallow  
So that I can feel... I can feel...I can feel the rain.  
****************  
  
A strong hand clasped his shoulder. "Come on Ryo, there's nothing more we can do here." Ryo turned to look into the sad gray eyes of Kento, and gave a wry smile. "I'm coming." Together they turned to join the group waiting for them by the cars. Pausing a moment, Ryo turned to glance one last time at the lonely grave. A single tear slid down his cheek and was quickly lost in the rain, one last tear of the immortal.  
  
****************  
Gravedigger when you dig my grave,  
Could you make it shallow  
So that I can feel the rain... Gravedigger  
****************  
  
Well like it, hate it? Should I continue or let it stand as it is. I have to be honest though, if I do turn this into a chapter fic it will be secondary to my other fic. But hey, give me a review and tell me what ya think I might just update all that much sooner.  
  
Serenity( 


	2. Crying in the Dark

Readers faint in shock and amazement as the realization that Serenity has updated sinks in

"Dammit it hasn't been that long!"

"Uh… yes it has."

"Urusai! Gaki!"

Disclaimer- Ryo is mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mwhahahahahaha!

"Excuse me I don't belong to anyone!" Ryo exclaims indignantly. Bandai enforcers come in and step behind him menacingly "Except of course the lovely people at Bandai and Ken Mizuki."

Tears of the Immortal CH. 2

"Crying in the Dark"

* * *

Ryo sat perched on the roof's edge of the crumbling building. Below him the lights and sounds of the city filled the night air with an unearthly song. An icy breeze whipped across the rooftops adding a soft moan to the cacophony of sounds. The human, however, did not move, not even to acknowledge the freezing wind brushing across his exposed skin. He sat silent, watching the ebb and flow of life in the city below. Mothers, Fathers, Sons, Daughters, Wives, Husbands, Brothers, Sisters. All of them going about their lives, taking the ups and downs; ins and outs. Learning, growing, changing, following new paths and gaining new experiences. LIVING. Ryo clenched his fists in frustration, crumpling further the piece of paper he had grasped in his hand for the past two hours.

A letter, friends he had not seen in years. Good wishes, a birthday he should never had been celebrating. An invitation, to see those who should not exist. 124, so old yet still he carried the bloom of youth in his face. Only the eyes showing the wisdom of his many years.

Today he was 124 years old, 107 years since he fought Tulpa, almost 40 years since the last of his mortal ties had been buried. A child, buried as an old man. Where had the time gone? Ryo sighed and looked up to the sky, though the world had changed so much the sky was still the same. He took comfort in that, the stars would not abandon him as everything else had. He opened the letter and smoothed it out, reading it one more time.

Otanjoubi Omedeto! You old fart! 124 years

old, maybe you should put yourself in a home.

Ha ha! Just kidding, We hope you're having a

good time in America. Your English should be

great by now you've been there for almost 20 years. Everyone here misses you a great deal

and wants you to come back. Sage has bought Mia's old house, please come and visit at least.

We miss the old days.

The Guys & Kayura

Frowning he crumbled the paper again and went back to his contemplation. Go back, to a past he wanted to forget. Return, to a place where he had been truly happy and utterly miserable. Could he handle it? Did he want to? What would he find?

Ryo sighed once more and raised his arms above his head, stretching out aching muscles. Though the footfalls were completely silent Ryo still turned to greet his faithful companion.

"Hey Blaze." The tiger rubbed his face against his masters arms in a comforting gesture. "What do you think I should do buddy?" Whiteblaze made a soft noise in the back of his throat, "Yeah, you're absolutely right." Decision made the solitary immortal rose and walked across the roof, secretly wondering if he had made the right choice.

* * *

So what do ya think? Good? Bad? Should I continue? Chapter three won't come out until I get at least three reviews on this chapter so Review People!

Anime Invaded Ch 3 is all typed up and ready to go, unfortunately the computer it is on refuses to connect to the internet, so you'll have to wait just a bit longer. I promise it will come out soon.

Serenity Pendragon


	3. To Return to the Beginning

Tears of the Immortal

"To Return to the Beginning"

He weaved through the crowd, bag slung over his shoulder. The smell of asphalt, sweat and men's room antiseptic filled the air. Gods he hated airports. Whatever possessed him to do this? Running his fingers through his shaggy red hair in frustration he growled in annoyance. Damn! He still had Customs to go through.

The Customs officer checked over his passport and asked him the usual series of questions. The language was one he had not spoken for decades, but he was still able to answer each question to the satisfaction of the officer. Shifting his bag to a more comfortable position he walked into a country he had left behind a long time ago. Looking around for a familiar face he frowned in annoyance when nothing but a sea of blank faces met him.

"Ryo!" At the surprised exclamation he turned and came face to face with a very surprised Cye.

"Hey." Ryo said softly a wry grin making its way onto his face.

"What did you do to your hair?" Ryo spun a couple of the fiery strands through his fingers and smirked.

"Oh this?" He shrugged nonchalantly, "I felt like a change. It's not permanent or anything." Then mumbling softly to himself, "Nothing really is."

"It matches your temper." A new voice called out from the side. Ryo turned to face the newcomer and was greeted by the sight of Sage and Rowen, the duo grinning widely at him.

"Hey guys what's up?"

"Sage's Net Value."

Ryo cocked an eyebrow at that statement, and Sage rolled his eyes in good-humored frustration.

"Jeeze Ro, it's not that fascinating."

"I think it's hilarious."

Ryo looked to Sage silently asking for an explanation. Catching his look Sage responded.

"Those investments I made 40 years ago are really paying off, that's all."

"There's an understatement, he's a freakin' billionaire now!" Rowen chimed in laughingly, "Isn't that right, Date-dono?" Sage shot Rowen an evil look and Ryo's mouth twitched in amusement.

"Date-dono?" Ryo asked softly, arching an eyebrow at Sage's expression. Sage shoved Rowen playfully.

"It's just something my accountants started calling me. Rowen caught it one day and thought it was amusing. Now he won't just let it die."

"Have they ever seen you?" Ryo asked softly, a strange echo in his voice. Sage's smile twinged slightly and a shadow passed over his eyes so quickly it was nearly impossible to catch before he answered brightly.

"Yes, but I was posing as my son, so everything is well."

Ryo nodded slightly then looked around the crowded airport terminal.

"Where's Kento?"

Cye cocked a smile in amusement.

"Need you ask?" He responded, "He complained that the wait was making him hungry. So he went to grab some food at the food court."

Ryo sighed and ran his finger through his hair again.

"Let's get Blaze out of storage first, he gets antsy when he's cooped up too long."

When Ryo was 14, he had created a major riot in downtown Shinjiku walking down the street with Whiteblaze at his side. Now, over 100 years later, not a single person screamed in terror or even batted an eye as he released the 900lb White Siberian Tiger from his cage and gave him a good scratch in greetings.

There had been no tigers in the wild for nearly 50 years, one of the many species of animals that had lost the battle of survival against humanity. However, thanks to genetic engineering most species survived in Zoos or as personal pets. Thus it was not uncommon to come across a timber wolf or giraffe in the backyard, or see someone taking the family bear out for a walk.

Whiteblaze gave his front paw a brief lick, and twitched his tail in anticipation. Ryo could tell the feline was excited to be back home in Japan. The tiger had never really been happy in the various cities and towns they had live in while in America. The lush forests surrounding Mia's old home would be a very welcome sight to the repressed Tiger.

Slinking gracefully through the crowds of people the Ancient Tiger followed his master as he had for over a century, while softly reaffirming his companionship with the human men by his side.

They found Kento in the food court, working his way through a large ham and pineapple pizza with a side of cheese fries.

"Hey Ryo! Nice hair." The cheerful Chinese boy called out in greeting, taking a brief break from his meal.

"You haven't changed a bit Kento." Ryo smiled ruefully, sitting down at the table across from the grinning boy.

"Hey, I can't help it if I've got a fast metabolism. It's not as if age is going to slow me down."

Ryo flinched and looked away, while the others laughed.

"So how was life in America?" Cye asked slipping into a chair and sitting back.

Ryo sighed, leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. Frowning thoughtfully at the ceiling he replied slowly.

"If you stare at a bright light for too long your vision becomes overwhelmed and you begin to get a headache. Even if you manage to block some of the light it's still there and the pain does not diminish." He shifted and faced Cye, "I've had a headache for the past five years."

"Soooo…. Did you have fun?" Kento asked.

"Yeah, I had fun." Ryo answered softly not really sounding like he meant it. Looking up suddenly at the group around him he queried, "Where is everyone else?"

"They're all at the house, they felt it wasn't their place to come, and they didn't want to get in the way." Rowen responded, picking at the cheese fries in front of him.

"They wouldn't have… 'sigh' never mind, it'll be nice to see everyone again."

"It's nice to see you too Ryo." Sage replied.

He watched as Whiteblaze raced alongside the van, easily keeping up with the speeding vehicle. Japan had changed a great deal in the past twenty years. Thanks mostly to the efforts of ZPG (zero population growth) the overcrowded cities of the past had largely disappeared. The overall human population of the world had decreased by 14 since the late 20th century and the positive effects of this could easily be seen. Traffic flowed easily along the wide streets and since less room was needed for residences more trees and parks decorated the city.

With an effort Ryo pulled his mind out of his own thoughts and back to Sage, who had been talking for a while.

"… Don't realize I have no intention of selling them."

"What?" Ryo asked somewhat blearily.

"Have you been paying attention to anything I've said?" Sage questioned slightly peeved.

"No." Ryo said point blank.

Breaking in before Sage could get angry Cye spoke up.

"Give him a break Sage, he's had a long flight, and it's 2am back in the States right now." Turning back to Ryo Cye continued, "Sage was just discussing some of the problems we've been having regarding Mia's property."

"Problems?"

"Basically there are a lot of groups interested in the Koji land due to the old growth forest." Rowen supplied.

"Yeah, those trees are older than us." Kento exclaimed.

"Several construction companies want to cut down the trees to make houses." Cye continued.

"While the environmental groups are calling for their protection and want to make the forest into a national Park." Rowen finished.

"Both groups can just back off!" Sage exclaimed angrily, "The forest stays just the way it is!"

"It reminds me of Mia and Yulie." Ryo's quiet voice floated softly around the car. The others quieted and the rest of the car ride was done in silence, each human caught up in his own thoughts.

Mia's house had hardly changed at all since he last saw it. Even though the mansion was well over 100 years old it looked well cared for and sturdy. Whiteblaze gave a roar of approval and bounded towards the forest at a breakneck pace. Ryo smiled softly and went to grab his bag from the back. He looked up as the front door swung open and a familiar voice called out.

"Well Wildfire welcome home."

* * *

And I shall end it here. No I am not evil, each chapter has a certain theme to it and this particular one was done. If you want the next chapter up soon I require 5 reviews at least. If I get more I might put up the next chapter faster. Now to answer reviews.

Queen Diamond- I hope I have met with your approval, this story is trying to relay a message and I hope I am doing it well.

Hashiba42- Thank you for your kind words, With as many fan writers as there are out there, one is hard pressed to come up with an original idea.

Fae- Thank you so very much

Mistress jade- I hadn't thought of it that way, but I guess in a way you are correct. Please continue reading

FirecatRekka- I'm glad you're hooked I will continue as long as there is interest.

DarrkKatt- I do not respond to threats.

Catgirl Serenity- I am glad you are enjoying all my work, I refuse to let any of my stuff die so though the updates will be far between they will happen.

StormyRose- As you wish.


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